Repeating torpedo-cane.



No. 810,386. PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906.

R. BEAN.

REPEATING TORPBDO CANE. APPLICATION FILED ocT. 10.1904.

3 SHEBTS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906.

R. BEAN. REPBATING TORPEDO CANE.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.10,1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906.

R. BEAN. REPBATING TORPBDO CANE.

APPLIGATION FILED OCT.10,1904.

3 SHEETS8HBET 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REPEATllNG TORPEDO-CANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1906.

Application filed October 10, 1904. Serial No. 227,978.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, Rosoon BEAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at lBerea, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Repeating Torpedo-Canes, of which the following is a specificaton, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in explosive torpedo-canes of the repeating variety; and the leading and essential object of the invention is to overcome and wholly avoid the common fault in existing torpedocanes of the premature and unintentional explosion of the ammunition balls or pellets caused by their becoming partially lodged in passing from the magazine into the passage that leads to the explosion-chamber. This partial lodgment of the ball or pellet is due to the unavoidable irregularity in their size, a defect in manufacture which cannot be overcome. If a pellet or ball is of the medium or average size,it will pass in the common canes of this variety from the explosive-chamber into the passage that leads to the explosionchamber; but if it is somewhat larger than the average size it will pass partly into the passage and remain partly or slightly back in the magazine. In this position the plunger comes along, and instead of carrying the ball or pellet with it it fractures it and causes it to explode, the part remaining back in the magazine causing this interference with feeding it. If the ball or pellet is abnormally small, one whole ball or pellet will feed properly into the passage, while the next ball or pellet will enter part way. When the plunger comes along to feed the ammunition to the proper place, the second or partially-fed ball or pellet will be fractured and again an explosion will occur. These explosions extend back into the collection of balls or pel lets in the magazine, and besides destroying the cane by the explosion the user is exposed to danger. It is to overcome this common defect that my invention is designed. One form of the mechanism by which I have successfully accomplished this desired object is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and set forth in this specification.

The principle upon which my invention rests involves a plurality of automaticallyacting stops or cut-offs so timed in their action that when an explosive is to be fed from the magazine to the explosion-chamber the upper or feeding cut-off is opened, while the lower or arresting cut-off is closed, and such that the upper cut-off closes before the lower cut-off opens, and so further timed that when the explosion is to be effected the lower cut-off again closes and remains closed,

not only during the explosion, but thereafter and until the upper cut-off has fed another explosive and itself fully closed, as hereinafter more particularly pointed out. The result is, first, that the explosives are fed past the upper or feeding cut-off irrespective of their size and are arrested and released by the lower or arresting cut-off irrespective of their size, and, secondly, that the cut-offs are not only alternately opened and closed, but that during a part of the operation they are both closed at the same time, so that there is no possible chance for the explosives to drop down past the cut-offs.

On the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and on which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my explosive torpedo-cane entire; Fig. 2, a rear or back view thereof on a larger scale; Fig. 3, a front or face view, also on a larger scale; Fig. 4, a front view showing a modification in the cut-offs and cams; Fig. 5, a back view of the modification; Fig. 6, an elevation of the opposite side to that shown in Fig. 1, a comparison of the two figures showing the positions of the cut-offs from opposite sides, the plunger being up in these two figures; Fig. 7, a similar view to Fig. 6, but on a larger scale and with the plunger down; Fig. 8, a similar view to Fig. 7 with the plunger down, but looking from the opposite side of the device; Fig. 9, a similar view to Fig. 8, showing the same side, but with the plunger part way up and both cut-offs closed; Fig. 10, a vertical sectional view showing the plunger at its u pper limit of movement; Fig. 11, a similar view to Fig. 10 with the plunger down instead of up; Fig. 12, a transverse sectional view on the line :20 9c of Fig. 10 Fig. 13, a similar view on the line y y of Fig. 10; Fig.14,a perspective view in detail of the plunger looking at the front side thereof; Fig. 15, a similar view of the plunger lookin at the rear side thereof; and Fig. 16, a side elevation of another modified form, in which the plunger is hollow and forms the magazine-charm ber, the cam-surfaces being on the body or head of the shooter.

The letter A designates the handle or cane proper of this repeating shooter. To the lower end of the handle is secured a plunger B, of brass or other suitable material and adapted at its lower end to strike the ball or pellet to cause an explosion and produce a report. This handle and plunger reciprocate, respectively, on and in guides C and I), the former, carried by the tube E, forming the magazine and the latter, by the body F of the device, forming the explosive-chamber. A spring G bears upon a bracket H, extending from the body F, and presses against a lug I, extending from the upper part of the plunger B, by whlch spring the plunger is elevated or separated from the lower part of the explosive-chamber after an explosion is effected. The body F, within which the explosivechamber is formed, is provided with Ventopenings J and K for the effectual and immediate ejection of the products of explosion, the latter openings affording the exit while the explosion is taking place and the former openings forming the exit for any lingering or remaining products of explosion immediately after the plunger has been raised. The tube E, constituting the magazine for the explosives, has a feed-opening L near its upper end and at its lower end is connected with the body F. That part of this tube E below the upper or feeding cut-off constitutes a feedingpassage M for the explosives.

Referring now to the special feat;.res of my invention-namely, the cut-ofl'sit w ill be seen that there are two of them, the upper or feeding cut-off and the lower or arresting cutoff, the former serving to allow the explosives to feed from the magazine and the latter arresting the explosives and allowing them to pass on down through the feeding-passage, these operations being properly timed and determined by the action of the plunger. The upper out-off is composed of a spring-wire N, secured to the tube E at a convenient point and formed at its lower end to enter a slot 0 in the wall of the tube or magazine and to extend sufficiently across the magazine to support the explosives above it in the magazine. This part of the cut-off after so extending across the magazine projects out and terminates in a contact portion P, adapted to be engaged by cam-surfaces on the plunger, so as to force the cut-off out of the tube at the time when an explosive is to be fed. I prefer to attach this cut-off to the magazinetube and to constitute it of a spring-wire whose normal tendency is to keep the cut-off proper in its position across the bottom of the magazine; but it will be understood that this is only one of numerous other forms of con struction that might be adopted, one of which is illustrated and suggested in Figs. 4

and 5, in which the cut o'lfs are attached to the body of the device instead of to the magazine-tube, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. The arresting cut-off is likewise preferably, though not necessarily, con structed of a spring-wire Q, also secured to the magazine-tube, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and4 in full lines and in Fig. 9 in dotted lines. Its lower end is bent or turned so as to extend within the feeding-passage and part way across the same and thence out again, ending in a contact portion R, a slot S in the wall of the feeding-passage being provided for this purpose and the contact portion R being adapted to be engaged by cam-surfaces on the plunger at the proper time, as will presently appear. The normal tendency of the feeding cut-off is to stand in cut-off position, and the normal tendency of the arresting cut-off is to stand in non-cut-off positionthat is to say, to stand the one partly across the bottom of the magazine and the other outside of the feeding-passage. They are moved from these normal positions by the action of the cams. To illustrate the operation, see Fig. 11, where the plunger is down, having been forced into that position against the lifting tendency of the spring G. In this position of the plunger the cam-surface T is acting to hold the feeding cut-oif away from the magazine, so that a pellet or ball can feed past it and be caught or arrested by the lower cut-off, which at this time has been forced into the feedingpassage by the action of the cam U. Now if the plunger is lifted and the cam-surface U brought opposite the contact P of the upper or feeding cut-off the latter will reenter across the lower end of the magazine, forcing its way gently but surely under the nearest ball or pellet. During the time this cam-surface U is opposite the two cut-offs, as suggested in Fig. 9, both of them are in or across the magazine and feeding-passage, respectively. At this time also a ball or pellet is resting on the lower cut-off. Just as soon as the camsurface V comes opposite to the contact R of this lower or arresting cut-off it will open or spring out, and such ball or pellet will pass down the feeding-passage M into its place in the bottom of the explosion-chamber. At this time the parts have reached the position shown in Fig. 10, with the cam-surface T above the upper or feeding cut-off and the latter in cut-off position and with the lower cut-off in feeding position. In this position of the parts three actions will take place on the return or down movement of the plunger namely, first, the return of the lower cut-off to arresting position by the immediate action of the cam-surface U passing down into contact with its contact end B; secondly, the withdrawal of the upper or feeding cut-ofl a little later by the action of the cam-surface T on its contact end P, which two actions will feed another ball or pellet to the arresting cutoff, and, thirdly, the explosion or firing of the ball or pellet which has been fed during the last preceding upward movement of the plunger. Thusit takes a descent, then an ascent, and then a descent of the plunger to feed the first ball or pellet and explode it; but after that a ball or pellet is fed by every ascent of the plunger and exploded by every descent thereof. It will be noticed that there is a short interval in the downward movement and a like interval in the upward movement of the plungernamely, when the cam-surface U is opposite the cut-offs when both of them are in cut-off position. This is to insure safety by making it certain that one cutoff will always be fully inward before the other cut-off starts to move outward. By referring to Figs. 14 and 15 it will be seen that these several cam-surfaces are formed on the plunger in a manner to bring them opposite the cut-offs, the cam-surface T standing somewhat to one side of the center the more readily to be in line with the side position occupied by thecontact end P of the upper cut-off, as more clearly seen in Figs. 2

and 3.

Referring to the modification illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, it will be seen that two cut-off wires N and Q are secured to the side of the body F and project thence through slots W and X, respectively, in the plunger. The slot W constitutes camsurfaces for operating the upper or feeding cut-off N, and the slot X constitutes cam-surfaces for operating the lower or arresting cut-off Q, the position of these cam-surfaces, as shown, being such as to operate these cut-offs in the same manner as hereinbefore described in speaking of the form shown in the other figures.

I have shown the cam-surfaces as carried upon the plunger and the cut-offs as carried by another part of the device; but it is obvious that this relative arrangement of these parts may be varied without departing from the spirit and substance of my invention. In this connection I would refer to Fig. 16, in which the plunger B is made hollow to constitute more or less of the magazine-cham-,

ber and in which the body F has the cam surfaces T, U, and V, which modification constitutes a reversal or transposition of the parts. It will be further noted that in this modification the cut-offs are bodily movable with the hollow plunger B. I would therefore have it understood that the worc plunger as herein used means one general part of the device and the word bodymeans the other general part, which two parts have relative movement. It will further be noted that in the principal form and the two modified forms the plunger proper extends above the body and works downward to effect an explosion; but should the plunger be otherwise arranged relatively to. the bod or the plunger and the two combined with my cutoff features such device would not constitute a departure from but would still be wholly within the spirit and principle of my invention.

Referring again to the action of the feeding cut-off, it will be further understood that if after feeding an explosive to the arresting cut-off the next explosive resting on the first one, the first one, being abnormally small, stands partly across the feeding cut-off, the same by its spring action or normal tendency inward will hold such next explosive nevertheless and will adjust itself thereto, even though the cut-off may not be able to pass entirely thereunder.

Referring to the second part of my inventionto wit, the direct feed of the pellets or balls constituting the explosives from the feeding-passage into the explosion-chamberit will be seen from Figs. 10 and 11 particularly that after the explosives pass the arresting cut-off they feed directly and freely through the passage M into the explosionchamber within the body F. In the prior art a leading defect has been that the explosives in passing from the feeding passage or magazine to the explosion-chamber have been indirectly fedthat is to say, have been subject to the action or control of a moving part, say' a plunger which has subjected them to being pinched or caught between such moving part and the adjacent fixed walls. The result has been premature and accidental explosion; but this direct feed of the explosives which I provide from a point where they are released by my cut-offs to and into the explosion-chamber, and which I term a direct feed, completely over comes this defect in previous devices of this kind. It will be noticed that in my device the explosives pass from the feeding-passage under and clear of the plunger and thence into the explosion-chamber and that they are not subject to being pinched or caught between the plunger and the adjacent fixed walls.

It will be understood that the spring in.- cluded in the feeding cut-off is insufficient in force to explode any explosive of abnormal size that may stand partly across the valve of such cutofi" and that this feeding cut-off is unconnected with the arresting cut-o'tl'. If the two cut-offs were interconnected, then the force necessary to withdraw the arresting cut-off would cause the connected feeding cut-off to explode any abnormal-sized explosive that might stand in the path of the latter cut-off; but by making the two cut-offs separate or, in other words, by having the feeding cut-off disconnected from any other cut-off it is free to pass more or less across the magazine independently of the position of the arresting cut-off, and it will be furbody otherwise arranged relatively to the ther understood that the arresting cut-off constitutes supporting means for the explosive that has passed the feeding cut-off and that such explosive is released from such supporting means when the plunger moves away from the anvil or firing-place. Thus the effect of the arresting cut-off is that of a supporting means for sustaining the explosive that has passed the feeding cut-off pending the interval when the plunger shall next move away from the anvil and is such a means as will permit the explosive to pass thence into the explosion-chamber when the plunger has so moved. It will be noted, too, that this supporting means is Wholly independent of any connection with the feeding cut-off and that the latter passes but part Way across the magazine or space through which the explosives pass in going to the supporting means.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an exploder of the character de scribed, the combination, with a magazine, an explosion-chamber in communication with the magazine and a plunger operating to detonate the explosives in said chamber, of independently-movable cut-oils operating between the magazine and the explosionchamber to feed and arrest the explosives by the action of the plunger, and means for successively actuating said cut-offs, substantially as described.

2. In an exploder of the character described, the combination, with a magazine, an explosion-chamber in communication therewith, and a plunger operating to detonate the explosives in the chamber, of cutoffs operating between the magazine and the explosion-chamber to feed and arrest the explosives, and cam-surfaces on the plunger to operate said cut-offs to feed and arrest the explosives.

3. In an exploder of the character described, the combination, with a magazine, an explosion-chamber in communication therewith, and a plunger to detonate the explosives in the chamber, of independentlymovable feeding and arresting cut-oil's operating between the magazine and the chamber, the normal tendency of one cut-off being to stand in cut-oil position and the normal tendency of the other cut-off being to stand in non-cut-otl position, and means whereby the action of the plunger successively actuates said cut-oil's, substantially as described.

4. In an exploder of the character described, the combination, with a magazine, an explosion chamber in communication therewith, and a plunger to detonate the explosives in the chamber, of independently movable feeding and arresting cut-offs operating between the magazine and the chamber, the normal tendency of one cut-off being to stand in cut-off position and the normal tendency of the other cut-off being to stand in non-cut-off position, and cam-surfaces on the plunger to successively operate these cutoffs against their normal tendency to feed and arrest the explosives.

5. In an exploder of the character described, the combination, with a magazine, an explosion-place in communication therewith, and a plunger to detonate the explosives, of feeding and arresting cut-offs operating between the magazine and said explosion-place, the normal tendency of the one cut-off being to stand in cut-off position and the normal tendency of the other cut-off being to stand in non-cut-off position, and means to operate the cut-offs against their normal tendency alternately, and also to allow both of the cutofls to stand in cut-oif position during an intermediate interval.

6. In an exploder of the character described, the combination, with a magazine, an explosion chamber in communication therewith, and a plunger to detonate the explosives in the chamber, of cut-offs composed of resilient wires secured to the magazinetube and extending respectively partly across the bottom of the magazine and partly across the communication or passage between the magazine and the chamber, and having projecting contact ends, and cam-surfaces on the plunger arranged to alternately operate the cut-offs.

7. In an exploder of the character described, the combination, with a magazine, an explosion chamber in communication therewith, and a plunger to detonate the explosives in the chamber, of cut-offs composed of spring-wires suitably secured and projecting respectively partly across the magazine and the passage or communication between it and the chamber, and cam-surfaces on the plunger arranged to alternately operate the cut-offs, and to permit both cut-offs to remain closed during an intermediate interval.

8. In an exploder of the character described, a tubular magazine-passage, having slots in the walls thereof, of independent cutofl's composed each of spring-wires extending, respectively, into said slots and within the magazine-passage in the path of the explosives, and means to operate said cut-offs.

9. In an exploder of the character described, the combination, with independent cut-ofl's, of a plunger having cam-surfaces adapted to operate each of said cut-offs.

10. In an exploder of the character described, the combination, with a magazine, an explosive chamber in communication therewith, and a plunger to detonate the explosives in the chamber, of feeding and arresting cut-offs operating between the magazine and the chamber to feed and arrest the explosives, and springs for said cut-offs lying normally close to the body of the exploder, the plunger having cam-surfaces to actuate said springs to operate the cut-ofits against the action of the springs, substantially as described.

11. In an exploder of the character described, the combination, with a magazine, a

an explosion place or chamber in communication therewith, and a plunger to detonate the explosives, of a feeding cut-ofi extending partly across the magazine and located and operating between the magazine and said explosion place or chamber, and including in its construction a spring adapted to move it back into position partly across the magazine, and supporting means located below said feeding cut-off and adapted to accommodate between it and the feeding cut-off an explosive, and to free such explosive when tllle plunger is moved from the anvil or firingp ace.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROSCOE BEAN.

Witnesses:

F W. SOHAEFER, G. H. WALMSLEY. 

